$52,000 needed to complete NKY 9/11 Memorial

Members of Cincinnati Ironworkers Union 44 place the last of six segments representing the Twin Towers destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks. The Northern Kentucky 9/11 Memorial’s first phase was erected in August 2013, giving the Crescent Springs monument two 12-foot-tall granite likenesses of the Twin Towers. When completed, the monument will contain an actual steel beam artifact from the rubble of the World Trade Center.
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Just under two years of collecting and fundraising for the Northern Kentucky 9/11 Memorial is almost complete.

According to memorial committee co-chair Lou Hartfiel, about $98,000 has been raised so far, leaving about $52,000 left to go. The total fundraising goal is $150,000.

“It’s really been heartwarming how the community has stepped up as much as they have,” Hartfiel said.

The partially constructed 9/11 Memorial is located at Crescent Springs Community Park, adjacent to the Kenton County Veterans Memorial on the corner of Buttermilk Pike and Collins Road.

The completed memorial will include renderings of the Twin Towers, a pentagon-shaped base and at the center an I-beam from the Twin Towers in New York City. The piece will pay tribute to firefighters, police, the airline industry, civilians, and the Pentagon affected in the 2001 attacks. It will include a timeline of the events that occurred on Sept. 11 and subtle images and tributes to each of the groups affected.

Funding for the memorial has primarily been through private contributions, Hartfiel said. Donation boxes are located at the Crescent Springs and Villa Hills Ameristops and Kremer’s Market in Crescent Springs. A “Stand Up for 9/11” comedy night emceed by Gary Burbank took place last year. Many sponsorship levels are also available with recognitions for each category. More information can be found at nky911memorial.org.

Recently the Fort Mitchell-based independent wealth management firm Altus Wealth Management became a First Responder sponsor. This is the highest sponsorship level and recognizes contributions of $10,000 and up.

Altus president and managing partner Steve O’Connor said the company gave toward the project because it wants to see it come to fruition.

“The memorial represents the stories of every American and how 9/11 changed our lives,” he said. “The Twin Towers of the memorial, which always projected our economic power to the world, are a reminder of what we lost as a nation but also a testament to the power and resiliency of the American people.”

For Altus, he said, this project has special meaning.

“The events of 9/11 had a dramatic impact on the financial services industry and the clients we serve,” he said. “We will never forget the fear that gripped financial markets and investor alike. For Altus Wealth Management the Northern Kentucky 9/11 Memorial is all about remembering what matter most; family, friends and the sacrifice so many have made to make this the greatest country on earth.”

A Northern Kentuckian in the financial industry, stockbroker Brian Williams, perished in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The 1990 Covington Catholic graduate worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, which had an office on the 104th floor of the trade center.

The Northern Kentucky 9/11 Memorial, which has been endorsed by officials in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties, will have an educational component, organizers have said, serving as a reminder to future generations of the 9/11 tragedy.